Excavating machine



l June 17,

W. J. NEWMAN l' AL EXCAVATING MACHINE Filed oct. 8, 192e 2 sheets-sheet 1 June 17, 1930. w, 1, NEWMAN Er AL l 1,763,810

EXCAVATING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filedy Oct. 8, 1926 Patented June 17, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM J'. NEWMAN AND JOHN I. CARROLL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS EXCAVATIN Gr MACHINE Application iled October 8, 1926. Serial No. 140,300.

This invention relates to excavating machines of the chain and bucket type which may be used for various purposes but which are especially adapted for use in digging Wet clay or gumbo or other sticky or adhesive materials. When it is attempted to excavate material of this kind with an Ordinary chain bucket, the material tends to stick to the bucket and if the bucket is more or less full,

the lump or portion of material gathered therein will be held by suction or pressure of the air s-o that it is diflicult or impossible to discharge the same from the bucket. One of the particular features of the present invention is the provision of a bucket with means for expanding or moving portions of the same in order to break the suction and to loosen the material gathered therein.

The objects of this invention are to provide an improved excavating machine which will be particularly eflicient for excavating clay or other material of an adhesive or sticky character; to provide an excavating machine of the'chain and bucket type with a coacting 2.5 belt conveyor for receiving material from the buckets; to provide a chain and bucket excavating machine with a coacting belt conveyor which is driven at a differential speed in order to dislodge the material from the buck ets; to provide a bucket or scoop of the character set forth which is divided into two or more separable sections with means for guiding or holding the sections together; to provide an excavating machine lof the chain and bucket type with buckets which are split longitudinally and means for moving the bucket sections laterally to separate them and to again bring them together; and to provide such other novel features and improvements in construction as will appear more fully from the following description and the accompanying drawings. VIn these drawings:

Figure 1 is a side view;

Figure 2 is a sectional detail taken on the line 2 2 of Figure 4;

Figure 3 is a sectional detail taken on the line 3 3 of Figure 2; Y

Figure 4 is an enlarged plan View of the excavating mechanism; and

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

In these drawings, some of the parts are shown diagrammatically or omitted for con-- venience in illustration.

In the particular form of the invention as shown in these drawings7 the excavating mechanism is mounted on a truck or tractor 6 which may be of any ordinary or preferred form of construction and which is provided 6o with posts or uprights 7 on which is pivotally mounted an -excavating boom 8. This boom maybe swung or raised-and lowered by any suitable power or manually operated swinging apparatus, such apparatus `being illustrated by the cable 9 which is attached to the outer end of the boom andpasses over-a guide sheave 10 on a frame 11 and down to a'winding drum 12. The boom 8 has side pieces or beams 13 which are secured together in any 70 suitable manner and which are pivoted on a cross shaft 14 carried by posts 7 Al drive shaft 15 is carriedin bearings 16 on the beams 13 and is driven by any suitable driving apparatus. In the arrangement shown a motor 7.5 17 is mounted on the boom and drives a chain 18 which drives a second chain 19 through a speed reducing gearing 20 and the chain 19 drives the shaft 15. A pair of driving sprockets 21 are secured to the shaft 15by be- I,8o ing keyed or otherwise secured thereto, or if desired, by means of a universal joint connec- Vvtion in order to allow for thel angularity of the driven-or conveyor chains 22. Y The front cha-in supporting shaft 23is mounted in bear- 485 ings 24 at the outer end of the boom and car- .ries the front guide sprockets 25 which are preferably .rotatablyV mounted thereon. `As will be readily seen from Figure 4 the front guide sprocket-s lare closertogether than the 9 0 rear guide sprockets so that the chains are not parallel but move at a slight angle to each other. The boom is provided with upper chain guides 26 which cause the respective chains to move in substantially straight lines. The Aboom is also provided with lower guide or supporting sprockets or wheels 27 for the lower reaches of the chains.

The buckets or shovels 28 which are carried by the chains 22 are of unique construction nv1 00 for carrying out the purposes above set forth. Each bucket, as a whole, comprises a back 29, sides 30, and bottom or digging portion 3l. The sides are secured to the chains in the usual manner but are made comparatively shallow so that the digging portion extends some distance beyond the same, and the front or cutting edge is preferably made narrower than the back portion, as shown particularly in Figure 4. The buckets are divided on a median line in order to form two relatively movable sections and guiding means are provided for guiding the sections as they move toward and away from each other. F or this purpose, two loops or keepers 32 are secured to the backs of the sections, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, and a guide plate or bar 33 slidably engages with these keepers. The bar has lugs or projections 34 at the ends to prevent it from being disengaged from the keepers. These parts are made suiiiciently strong and wide to hold the two portions of the bucket in proper alignment.

rlhe drive or head shaft l5 is also provided with a pulley 35 for a conveyor belt 36 which v passes around a second pulley 37 on the shaft 23 at the outer end of the boom. The pulley 35 'which drives the conveyor belt is of slightly larger diameter than the pitch line of the sprockets 2l so that there is a differential movement between the belt and the chains. The outer pulley 37 is preferably somewhat 'smaller than the sprockets so that the belt at the outer end of the boom is at some distance from the chains, as will be seen from Figure 5. The boom is provided with upper guide rollers 38 and lower guide rollers 39 for the belt 36.

The material which is excavated may be disposed of in any convenient manner, as by means of a second conveyor 40 which projects rearwardly from the truck or carriage 6. This conveyor may be driven in any convenient manner, as by means of a motor 41 and suitable driving connections. The Inaterial may be discharged from the conveyor 40 into cars or wagons 42.

lhen the apparatus is used for such work as tunneling or ditching, the machine is moved up so that the forward end of the excavator will engage with the face 43 of the excavation. The front end of the boom is lowered and the machine moved forwardly so that the buckets will engage with the face and the boom will be gradually swung upwardly with' the buckets maintained in digging position. The two halves of the bucket are closed or held together during the digging movement. as shown in Figure 4, and each bucket will cut or shave off a certain amount of the material to be excavated. As the bucket passes up and back over the outer sprockets, the load of material 44 will gradually assume a position to drop on the conveyor belt 36, but the sticking or suction of a load of clay in the bucket would ordinarily prevent it from dropping. However, as the bucket proceeds on its rearward movement, the chains gradually become farther apart and the two halves of the bucket will be separated or opened, thereby breaking the suction and loosening the load therein. The differential or increased speed of the conveyor belt is such, that during its rearward movement, it moves in advance of the chains, a distance approximately equal to the distance between two of the buckets so that as the load 44 drops or engages with the conveyor, the conveyor tends to move it away from the bucket and thus further assist in loosening the same from the bucket. When the load has moved in advance of the bucket, it will be in position to be readily discharged at the discharge end and will pass on to the conveyor 40. The belt 36 may: be either a smooth belt or may be provided with slats or armoured in any well known manner in order to further assist in dislodging the material from the buckets. During the rearward movement of the buckets the chains are securely held by the guides in order to insure the positive opening of the buckets and similar guides may be provided for the bottom reaches, but the guide sprockets 27 will ordinarily be sufficient to'A insure the closing of the bucket during their outward travel.

It will be apparent that our improved excavating apparatus may be made in various sizes and may be modified in the details of construction as well as the mounting of the same in order to adapt it for different uses o1' conditions, and therefore we do not wish to be limited to the construction or arrangement shown and described, except as specified inf' the following claims, in which we claim:

l. A. bucket comprising back, sides, and bottom or excavating portion and divided on a median line, keepers on the back portions, and a bar engaged with said keepers.

2. A. bucket for digging clay or the like, comprising back, sides and bottom or excavating portion, said excavating portion extending forwardly from the sides and being narrowed at its outer edge, said bucket beingvr divided and having guideways on the back, and a bar engaging with said guideways to guide the respective portions of the bucket.

3. In a digging apparatus, the combination of a pair of converging chains, means for driving. supporting, and guiding said chains, sectional buckets carried by said chains, the arrangement being such that the sections will be closed when in digging position and will be opened as they move away from digging" position.

4. The combination with a pair of converging flexible carrier elements, of sectional excavating shovels carried by said elements,

the sections of which are adapted to movel laterally toward and away from each other, and guide means for holding the sections in alignment during such movement.

5. In an excavating machine, the combination of a pair of chains which converge from their inner end toward their outer end, sectional buckets carried by said chains, and a conveyor belt coacting with said chains and buckets and adapted to receive the excavated material from the buckets.

6. The combination with a chain bucket excavating apparatus, of a conveyor belt arranged to travel within the chains and driven at a higher rate o-f speed than the chains.

7. In an excavating apparatus, the combination of a boom, a drive shaft carried by the boom, a pair of sprockets on said shaft, a guide shaft at the outer end of the boom, a pair of sprockets on said guide shaft which are closer together than the sprockets on the drive shaft, chains carried by the sprockets on the drive shaft and guide shaft, buckets comprising laterally separable sections carried by said chains, pulleys on said drive shaft, and guide shaft, and a conveyor belt passing around said pulleys and adapted to receive the material from the buckets.

8. In an excavating apparatus, the combination of a boom, a drive shaft carried by said boom, a pair of sprockets on said shaft, a guide shaft at the outer end of the boom, a pair of sprockets on said guide shaft, chains carried by said sprockets which converge toward the outer end of the boom, guides for said chains, means for turning the drive shaft, digging buckets carried by said chains, each of said buckets being divided longitudinally, pulleys on the drive shaft and guide shaft, and a conveyor belt passing around said pulleys, the driving pulley for'the conveyor belt being of such diameter that the belt will be driven faster than the chains.

9. An excavating machine comprising a movable support, uprights carried by said support, a boom pivotally mounted on said uprights, means for raising and lowering the boom, a drive shaft mounted at the inner end of the boom. a motor and driving connections for driving said shaft, two sprocket Wheels secured to said shaft, a guide shaft at the outer end of the boom, two sprocket wheels mounted on said guide shaft and arranged closer together than the sprocket Wheels on the drive shaft. chains carried by said sprocket wheels., digging buckets carried by said chains, each of said buckets being divided on a median line and having means for guiding the sections thereof during their lateral movement, guides for said chains, pulleys mounted on said drive shaft and guide shaft, a conveyor belt coacting with said pulleys and moving faster than the chains, guide rollers for said conveyor belt, the arrangement being such that the material gathered in the buckets will be discharged on the conveyor belt during the rearward movement of the buckets, and a Second conveyor carried by the support and adapted to receive the material from the digging conveyor.

lOjA chain and bucket conveyor having sectional buckets which are divided on a median line, and means whereby1 the buckets will be opened and closed by ,lateral movement of the chains.

11. A sectional digging bucket of the character set forth, having a bottom, back and sides and divided longitudinally through the bottom and back to form the sections, means for moving the sections bodily relatively to each other, and means for guiding the sections during such movement.

12. A digging and conveying bucket having a split bottom and back to form sections which are slidably moved apart to free the material in the bucket.

13. The combination with a digging bucket having a bottom and back divided on a median line, of means for positively moving the entire sections relatively toward and away from each other, and means for guiding the vsections during such movement.

IVILLIAM J. NEVMAN. JOI-IN P. CARROLL. 

